Even though it’s Aloha Friday and I’m joyfully thinking about what to wear to a birthday party tonight, my mind keeps visualizing homeless families who see Friday as just another day living in the park and cars. I’m donating proceeds from my song “No Homelessness,” which drops October 1, 2018, to charities like LAMP, pioneers of the “housing first” solution to homelessness. LAMP puts men and women with severe mental illness (especially artists) into “supportive housing” without requiring them to be sober. “A night in a Los Angeles jail cost $64; a night in a mental hospital cost $607; and a night in a general hospital cost $1,474. A night in supportive housing cost $30.” If you know of other organizations doing great work helping house, feed and provide social services to homeless people, please let me know. https://www.facebook.com/ariaelanofficial/
“No Homelessness” features a hauntingly beautiful flute played by virtuoso Brent Birckhead and hypnotic, soulful vocals, but it’s not the first single from my new social justice album. Producer extraordinaire, Karl Marrett, swore me to secrecy about which uplifting, one love song with a beat that won the toss.
Living in a time where children are cruelly separated from their parents; where police kill black boys and men and are rarely charged and almost never convicted; where politicians vote trillions in tax cuts to the richest 1% of Americans, then tell the rest of us there’s no money, I had a lot of material to choose from when writing lyrics. One of my favorites is a lovely environmental justice lullaby that is influenced by indigenous cultures who love and respect our home, mother Earth. I invite all of you to join me on my musical, social justice journey and enjoy the flow of my new album.
One Love…
Aria